A Cup of Whimsy

Monday, December 30, 2013

I can’t believe we’re almost at the end of Dressember! Or at
the end of the year, for that matter. This little update will just be short and
sweet today (and late, but you know, whatever). I have bigger things cooking,
along the lines of getting real with goal-setting and prepping for 2014. Be
excited! I know I’m enjoying the process this year. More on that later.

Last I heard we hit around $115,000 in raised funds that go
straight to the International Justice Mission. I still have $90 to go to reach
my personal goal of $200. If you operate
last minute like me, now is your time! I’m almost one hundred percent positive
that the campaign will stay open until January 3rd, which also
happens to be this Friday.

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Hooray! Week Three = a success! This week we reached over
$100,000 in funds that go straight to the International Justice Mission. This is
huge, y’all, and so exciting. I hear that we’re shooting for $125,000 by the
end of the month.

As always, if you want to know more about Dressember, you
can visit here.

And if you find yourself with some extra money on your hands
during this giving season, you can join this movement and give here.

This week was an adventure because I had a minor surgery
scheduled for my foot. I’ve been dealing with an injury for about a year and a
half, and finally got it taken care of this week. I was a little nervous about
how Dressember + foot surgery would work together, but it turns out that it’s a
great pairing! Putting on a dress every day makes me feel fresh, cute, and most
importantly, ever so comfortable. It’s made recovery better than I had
anticipated, and my hospital gown even made a cameo as a Dressember outfit. Also that boot is a cute accessory, right?

Sunday, December 15, 2013

We’re two weeks in and I’m finding this way easier than I
thought it would be. Sometimes I’m just so fidgety in pants and some days they
are the most uncomfortable thing. So for me, wearing dresses is a fun
celebration every day, because I love them! They’re comfortable, cute, and easy
to wear and accessorize. But I know so
many women who just don’t do this whole dress deal. It’s not their thing. And that’s
great! I think Blythe Hill said it well here: “Wearing a dress is one way of
expressing/embracing femininity; it's definitely not the only way, nor is it
the "right" way. Femininity is complex and beautiful in its diversity
of expression. Dressember
is less about defining femininity and more about solidarity in dressing for a
cause.”

That solidarity and sense of purpose has been one of my
favorite things so far about Dressember. This idea just feels like an awesome
movement that is enacting change. We can make a difference by choosing what to
wear every day and by talking to people about things we’re excited and passionate
about. Winner!

Also, you don’t have to wear a dress every day to be part of
this awesome community! If you want to, you can donate some monies here (my
personal campaign.) And check out the hashtags #dressember2013 and
#youcandoanythinginadress for some fun inspiration!

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Week One of Dressember was a success!
Our collective goal in the Dressember community was to raise $25,000
for the International Justice Mission (IJM) and we blew that one
right out of the water in the first few days. Our new goal for the month of December is
$100,000 and we're just about halfway there in the first week. I
reached half of my personal goal within the first day, and am hoping
to keep the momentum going and surpass it by a lot.

Sorry for the not so great graphic guys, I was seriously
about to throw my laptop out the window trying to get the open source
Photoshop equivalent to work, and not even about to brave the snow to
get to campus to use their software. InstaCollage on my phone happened,
no big deal. I've decided to post daily pictures on Instagram and Facebook
and do a weekly update on my blog so y'all can stay caught up.

Outfit-wise, I've been having fun. It's
challenging to come up with something cute, warm, comfortable, and in
some cases, able to hide charcoal dust (thanks, drawing studio). I
thought I'd be so cold all the time, but I've managed to keep pretty
cozy even though we've had crazy cold weather this week. I mean
single digits cold here, y'all. The weather alerts in my app last
night said it was the coldest since 1972, and I believe it. I have
never before experienced this kind of cold, and I have so much
respect for the ladies Dressembering in places where you wouldn't
even blink an eye at single digit temperatures. You are brave, dear
women. So brave. I applaud you. Snow makes wearing dresses hard.

I've been thinking this week about
determination and how much it can change things. When I first found
out about Dressember, I didn't know that they were partnering with
IJM. I just thought it sounded fun. I thought that I could set my
mind to it and maybe not complain about the cold or limited wardrobe.
But the fun-sounding challenge of a dress a day became the cherry on
top of the hearty goodness of IJM and using our influence for what
matters. I am determined to do this, and do it without complaining,
because I believe in the heart behind this movement. I feel a little
giddy when I pick out my outfit because people matter. Freedom
matters and influence matters. I feel a little giddy because now I'm
part of this huge community, this movement of women who have
determined to do Dressember with purpose, and I love it! This week
has been full of intentionally choosing joy over complaining about
inconvenience. It's been about cultivating gratitude. And cultivating
community. Social media truly can be such a beautiful thing when its
used well.

If you're interested in joining the movement, you can find out more on Dressember's website here!

If you have some money to spare during this giving season and want to support IJM in the fight for freedom, you can give here!

Sunday, December 1, 2013

I am so excited to be joining the Dressember fun this year.
So, so excited. Dressember is a movement. A movement of people all over the
globe, celebrating beauty and feminity for a purpose. It’s simple; wear a dress
a day for a month, repeats allowed. Take a picture of your outfit and share it
somewhere like Facebook, Instagram, or your blog. Tell everyone you know.

Here’s a little background for you: Dressember started in
2009 when blogger Blythe Hill wondered if she could wear a dress every day for
a month. The next year it got bigger, and then in 2011 it went International
(and hit Instagram). 2012 was even grander. This year, Dressember is partnering
with the International Justice Mission (IJM) to raise funds and awareness in
the fight against human trafficking and sex slavery. Did you know that over 27
million men, women, and children are trapped in slavery today? That number is
greater than during the entire Trans-Atlantic slave trade. That number is
unacceptable.

This project is close to my heart because I believe that we
are all called to be advocates for those who cannot use their voice. We all
have influence. I feel like the past year for me has been a lot of sitting
around and thinking about how I have influence. Sometimes the heart work takes
time. And sometimes our influence impacts people without our ever knowing it.
It’s time for me to start purposefully doing instead of just thinking. This is
a tangible way to start. I’m ready to go and do! I love the phrase “Do what you
can with what you have” because it speaks to action, now. This month, I have a
lot of dresses. I have fleece-lined leggings. I have sweaters. I can wear a
dress every day for a month. And if wearing a dress every day for a month can
make even a small impact on someone's life and help give them a voice, I'm in!

I’ll be blogging weekly about my Dressember progress –
including photos of the outfits I come up with. There are sure to be some
embarrassing ones in the mix, so stay tuned. Let me tell you, fashion bloggers
make this whole ordeal look effortless. I’m still getting the hang of this
thing – it’s harder than you would think to conceal the remote in a natural way
or pose without looking like an idiot! Bear with me, I have a feeling this will
be part of the fun.

Thursday, November 28, 2013

I’ve been thinking a lot of birthdays this month. Partly
because a lot of people I love were born in the month of November, and partly
because I decided to celebrate my birthday all month in an effort to keep
learning how to love myself. Birthdays matter because people matter. Birthdays
are a celebration of creation and identity. I’ve spent too many years believing
lies and twisted truth about who I am and how God made me.

This year my birthday feels like change.

This year my birthday feels like the turning of a page, a
marker of continuation in this journey of healing and freedom.

It feels like leaning into God’s presence and throwing down
deep roots into the soil of His marvelous love.

It feels like practicing gratitude.

It feels like overflowing joy.

It feels like being bold, capable, and creative.

It feels like standing firm in truth that cannot be shaken
and hope that anchors the soul.

I’m choosing to celebrate me this year like I would celebrate
someone else.Because after all, Jesus
did say to love others as you love
yourself. I would be horrified if I ever heard the words I sometimes speak
to myself coming out of my mouth directed towards another person. It’s time to
echo the words of truth and love I hear from God deep into my heart. It’s time
to celebrate the beauty of His creation and stop ignoring that I AM His
creation. I am fully, deeply, and purposefully created by the Creator of all
things. And so are you.

So this year on Thanksgiving I’m thankful for the gift of
abundant life. I’m thankful for my sweet husband, and our wonderful families. I’m
thankful for the dear women who have given me the gift of their time and wisdom
as I do this thing called life. I’m
looking forward to a year of purposefully cultivating gratitude. And living
like I mean it.

Oh, and while we’re on the topic of birthdays…

Two years ago TODAY I got the very best gift since my mama
labored to bring me into this world. Here’s a little video documenting one of
the best decisions I’ve ever made.

A real life, straight-from-the-cell-phone video
of when Micah proposed. He proposed on my 21st birthday, and I was so
surprised by his timing that I didn't know what to do with myself -
other than say yes! Best decision.

Because of the cell phone quality capture, its really hard to hear. This is essentially what went down.
My mom wanted us to take some family pictures on my birthday, and
then asked to get some of Micah and I. while we were posing and goofing
off, Micah whispered in my ear that he had another gift for me. And then
he got down on one knee.

This is the transcript that he typed up later:
Micah: The box was too big to hide in my pocket. And now my fingers are nervous and I can't get it out. Come on!
Abi: Oh my gosh....
Micah: Abigail, The past seven months have had their ups and downs
but it's been good, it's been really good. And I would like to make
seven months seventy years with you. You're the one for me. I love you.
You're beautiful, you love people, you love God, you have a pure heart, I
love you. Will you stand by my side? Will you be my partner? Will you
marry me?
Abi: Yes.
Micah: It's been really hard to keep the secret for the past week or so.
Abi: Oh my gosh!
Lisse: Oh my gosh, Abi, you have no idea!
Abi: When did you decide to do this?
Micah: About a week ago.
Abi: Uhhh...
Micah: I talked to your dad on Thanksgiving morning.I woke up early and caught him before work.
Abi: Wow.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

It’s been a little over six months since I sat in a ballroom
in North Carolina, thinking about how my ideal day would look. We did a lot
more than that at Making Things Happen, but I woke up this morning thinking
particularly of my ideal day. What I thought I wanted back in March has been
sharpened and clarified and changed.

The thing I’m learning about my ideal day is that it needs
to be realistic. I heard this at MTH, and now I’m living it and its sinking in.
This is not a visualization of what life would be like in a perfect world. This
is real life. This is what life could look like, right here, right now. Like all
habits and patterns, it’s taking time to establish, but I’m moving forward even
when it does feel like I’m just plodding along.

The first three months after MTH, I was a full-time student.
The past three months, I’ve been a full-time housewife processing tons of fresh
food for the year. I’m heading into another three months of full-time studies
on Monday, and adding some part-time food processing to the mix just for fun.
No, not for fun. It needs to happen, but some days I’m a little freaked out about
how that’s all going to work out.

In my mind, my ideal day should be the same, every day. I
like structure, but sometimes I get stuck thinking that structure has to fit
just right in the box, and it has to look a certain way. It doesn’t. In this season
of life, I am a student. Every day does not look the same. Sometimes I have morning
classes, and most of the time I have evening classes (what’s up art department,
why you gotta do that to me?). I’m tired all the time. There are always projects
to finish, always books to read, and always something.else.to.do.
There are people to love, meals to cook, a house to keep clean, and a marriage
to focus on.

Now more than ever, I am beginning to understand what it means
for my ideal day to be realistic. In the
last six months I’ve been fighting deep fatigue. It turns that I have a lovely combination
of low iron, vitamin D, and B12. This feels like it shouldn’t be a big deal,
but do you know what it really means? Zero. Energy. For. Life. This summer I’ve
been learning what it means to love myself, and part of loving myself means
taking care of myself. Being patient and giving grace and talking nice.

Realistic for me sometimes means going back to sleep after
Micah leaves for work. My schedule has been flexibly busy this summer, which
has given me the room to sleep for a couple more hours (most days) while we
work on better bedtime habits. We didn’t live together when we were dating and
engaged, so we got into a bad habit of staying up late to postpone our goodbyes.
I thought our late nights would be over once we got married, but unfortunately that
habit has persisted. M is one of those magical people who can fully function
with less sleep, and I need it. I need sleep real bad. However, its hard for me
to go to bed without Micah. I like that last little bit of time with him. I also really hate being startled awake after
only a short time of sleeping - it’s disorienting and makes me feel blah. Somehow
I’ve convinced myself that this will definitely happen every night if I go to
sleep before him. It’s probably time to just bite the bullet and get in bed,
right? (If you have a similar story, I want to know. What are your victories? What are your struggles? Am I the only one who has this problem?).

Realistic also means being flexible. Sometimes I’m barely
awake even after operating a hot stove and moving around for forty-five
minutes. On those days I crawl right back in bed. Most of the time I’m awake
enough to light a candle, make myself some tea, play my Four Seasons Pandora
station, and sit down to just be with God and spend time in the Word. Sometimes
I have to lie down again after that, but ideally I head for the cardio room or
the shower, depending on the day.

This is where structure has to become flexible. The bulk of
my day is taken up with classes, household projects, food prep, meetings,
studying, or who knows what else. I’m working on setting myself up for
greatness for this next quarter by giving myself loose guideline for how I
could spend my time. I’m filling out my Powersheets (Get them. They are
revolutionizing my life. For real).I’m making
lists of things I’m saying no to and things I’m saying yes to and putting those
lists where I can see them. I’m also putting my list of things that fire me up
in plain sight so I can actually do those things instead of just thinking about
them. I’m writing down my Big List of to-dos, and then coming up with several
action items I could do easily if I find myself with a few extra minutes.

And I’m telling you all this so that I’ll actually follow
through. I love the accountability of the internet. Call me on it, okay? Leave me
a comment. Send me an email. Ask me how I’m doing. If you want to get in on
this action too, do it! And let me know. We can chat.

I’m linking back to all of Lara Casey’s goal setting posts
below. You can just click and save all your energies for goal setting and
making it happen. You’re welcome.

About Me

I am Abi. A free-spirited perfectionist, a talker, and a dreamer. A follower and lover of Jesus. I love light, color and people. Currently an art student. I’m also an external processor, so be prepared to hear me spill my thoughts on life, creative pursuits, living with food sensitivities, and being married to an incredibly sexy man who is the best software engineer around.